Jill Langhus-Griffin

I attribute my success to the women around me and the mentors that I've had, and our COO who is a trafficking survivor leader. Just amazing people with amazing missions and resilience. They're what keep me going. The why is them. I want to make their lives better, and I want to prevent this atrocity from happening anymore, which is huge. It's too huge for me, but collaboratively, we can do it. These survivor leaders are fellow empaths with deep purpose, and they're here, they signed up for this for a reason. So many of them had to deal with trafficking before it was even really known, and they had to do it themselves. I don't know how they're even alive because of the health issues they have and what they had to endure and what they went through alone. It's inspiring, but it's also very daunting and just overwhelming when I hear stories like that. They never really heal from it, and a lot of them do come from childhood trauma, and then you're groomed and groomed again into trafficking. I'm really interested in those patterns and how we can prevent that and how we can really give them deep resources to heal.

The best career advice I ever received came when I worked for Hay House, the publisher, in Carlsbad in my mid-30s. I'm a little bit spiritual, not religious, but spiritual, and for me, the best career advice was to be authentic and to recognize that I chose these people and my experiences for a reason, and that was my purpose. I had that background of trauma and abuse so I can help support trafficking survivors through their own abuse and trauma. That understanding that everything happens for a reason and that my difficult experiences gave me the ability to connect with and support survivors has been the most important guidance in my career.

I would tell young women to embrace authenticity and trust that their voice matters. Your experiences—especially the challenging ones—can become a source of strength and purpose. Don’t be afraid to step into spaces that feel uncomfortable, and always stay open to growth, mentorship, and collaboration. The impact you want to make will grow when you align your work with compassion and truth.

One of the biggest challenges in my field is the ongoing and increasing global issue of human trafficking, along with the lack of sufficient long-term support systems for survivors. At the same time, there is a powerful opportunity to expand prevention efforts, strengthen survivor-led initiatives, and develop more accessible healing and empowerment programs. Sustainable funding and global collaboration are key areas for growth.

The values most important to me are making a difference and uplifting others. I believe strongly in mentoring others, whether it's girls, women, or survivors. I really love uplifting other people. It really lights me up, and I really feel like I'm making a difference. I'm passionate about being seen and heard because I was invisible myself. I believe we're stronger together, so I am heavily involved in what a lot of our partners are doing, especially the survivor leaders, since they've already been through so much. I help them out quite a bit. I'm all about how much impact am I making. For my personal life, I really would like to do more creative endeavors, whether it's painting or drawing, or playing with these little fashion sticker books. I like walking and being out in nature to kind of unplug.